Day 8 - Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Saraland, AL to Decatur, TX
GPS Distance: 795 miles
Travel time: 13h 24m
States Claimed: MS, LA, AR, OK, TX
Up in time to eat motel continental breakfast. My route puts me back on that wonderful stretch of highway I’m familiar with, Interstate 10 in Alabama and Mississppi, Interstates 10 and 12 in Louisiana.
More rain to contend with? After yesterday, it’s no big deal at all!
Start the day in AL. Can I finish this ride - today??
I made sure my MS stop was at the same place I’d stopped on my 50CC ride. I-10 turns into I-12, then a jog around Baton Rouge (look at a map, probably a better way around this city) and on to the next corner, and one of the two LA fuel stops I need.
Diamondhead, Mississippi
Another ‘pay inside’, so now a little game. I want around 5.5 gallons, and gas price is ‘X’. So, I go inside, get a soft drink and pay for a really odd amount for fuel.
Welcome to Louisiana
I’ve now returned to the original ride plan. My stops should be the same, I’m just now a half-day ahead of where I’d planned to be.
Bridge over a swamp - a lot of them around here, it seems!
Interstate 12 east of Baton Rouge
I get to Baton Rouge, and take this US highway around the periphery of the community. Traffic is busy, but not unbearable for a weekday morning. I’m going to end up on a ‘short cut’ route that will get me to the Interstate that will lead me to Arkansas. So, much of today is heading north - and west. Now you can see why I really wanted to get Florida last night, just made sense to do it that way.
The GoPro did okay...
...but a better image from my cell phone! Opelousas, LA fuel stop
More rain to contend with? After yesterday, it’s no big deal at all!
Back on the road - and look like a good long stretch on Interstate 49 until I get to Texarkana.
Those clouds I took photos of earlier?
Those clouds I took photos of earlier?
Approaching Alexandria, LA - Just where *are* those clouds?
Hmmm...over the freeway??
Got me again! Heavy, but fairly short duration, just a few miles. Saw a motorcyclist going the other way - no gear. I know, that hurts!
Fifty miles later? Sunshine & fair-weather clouds on the horizon.
Shreveport - terrible road conditions. Stopped at food/gas place. Yeah, glad I have water, but again, more to eat.
Shreveport, LA - food/fuel stop
Back onto I-49 - then GPS weirdness hits. It keeps trying to take me off the highway. Eventually, I relented, and ended up on the parallel U.S. Highway thru here. After about ten miles of this madness (pretty ride thru the countryside), a sign that points me back to the Interstate. On approach to Texarkana, my GPS had I-49 as a state route. Even though my mapset is only four years old, it was still leading me off highway because it didn’t know that it had been completed some time before 2015. Good to have accurate maps, but good to have common sense. I think mine has left.
Texarkana - Arkansas! I get gas at the planned location; again missed the Bubbler mark. Eh...more important things to worry about, getting on the road that’ll get me to Oklahoma.
To be honest the least amount of route study was from Texarkana to Hobbs. Idabel seemed to be a common spot to get the OK receipt, but from here, I’d simply mapped out a direct route that would get me into New Mexico the quickest - and at least gave me a chance on getting close to home.
Texarkana - Arkansas! I get gas at the planned location; again missed the Bubbler mark. Eh...more important things to worry about, getting on the road that’ll get me to Oklahoma.
To be honest the least amount of route study was from Texarkana to Hobbs. Idabel seemed to be a common spot to get the OK receipt, but from here, I’d simply mapped out a direct route that would get me into New Mexico the quickest - and at least gave me a chance on getting close to home.
What do you mean the system went down? Gaah!
In OK, I tried really hard to do a bit of research. Crappy cell service, and my favorite lodging network briefly working, then suddenly down for repair made me really frustrated. I think I could have pushed on west of Decatur, but I just didn’t have an idea of where the next lodging opportunity would be. Lack of research?
Again, I wanted to know where the end of the day would be; from there, the when the day would end be able to be calculated. From here, I just gotta get back into Texas, and deal with it then.
Again, I wanted to know where the end of the day would be; from there, the when the day would end be able to be calculated. From here, I just gotta get back into Texas, and deal with it then.
Leave OK, back into TX - only one more state and how much time do I have left??
Now, I’ve written about the Interstates, easy way to make lots of time. Well, here in northeast Texas, things are a bit different. Speed limits are 65 MPH and higher between towns, but you’d better be mindful of those speed limit reductions as you get into town.
Rural Texas highway
I’m making respectable time, and have tried a couple more times - the lodging app is recommending that I use the toll free number. I’m giving up, and will stay in Decatur. When the app was working (briefly) I did see a very reasonable room rate. During the middle of the week, I should have just driven there. No, I have all this gear, and right now my microphone is working - I’m gonna call.
“Hi my name is… I’m calling from a moving motorcycle along a Texas highway. Are you able to hear me okay?”
“Yes, I hear you fine.”
Lodging, Decatur texas, one adult, one night, non-smoking.
Yes, see it, along with your customer ID number from your phone number. All I need now is a credit card number.
“You can’t use the number that’s on file in the system?”
No, that’s only for your access for on-line booking. We have no way of seeing that account.
“Okay, gonna take me a minute to find a safe place to pull off.”
“Hi my name is… I’m calling from a moving motorcycle along a Texas highway. Are you able to hear me okay?”
“Yes, I hear you fine.”
Lodging, Decatur texas, one adult, one night, non-smoking.
Yes, see it, along with your customer ID number from your phone number. All I need now is a credit card number.
“You can’t use the number that’s on file in the system?”
No, that’s only for your access for on-line booking. We have no way of seeing that account.
“Okay, gonna take me a minute to find a safe place to pull off.”
I pull onto the shoulder to read off my CC number - technology!
I stop, pull out my wallet, dig out the CC and read off the number - stopped along a Texas highway. Thirty seconds later, I’m moving again. Unreal.
Get to town; yep - food. So, find that ubiquitous sandwich shop and pull in. Two cars in the lot - and me. The two females made a bee-line for the door when I’m taking a few extra seconds to get my phone off the mount.
I walk in, the couple seemed to be finishing up; they are gone in a matter of minutes..
The "self-entitled 50-something-year-old bitch" along with her tween-aged, whiny assed grand-daughter/niece start bitching at each other. The young one then heads for the door, still whining about something - never did figure it out completely.
I’m thinking I’ll just step up and get my order in - nope, older one comes running up recalims her spot in line, and begins to ‘bark’ her order to the young female employee behind the counter.
It took at least ten minutes to order four foot-long sandwiches, finally realizing the whiny one didn’t get an order, so that fifth sandwich was hastily assembled by the male employee.
The young female employee comes to me, I have my order request in the most kind voice I could muster in less than ten seconds.
Then the FUN of watching this 50-something deal with the point-of-sale terminal.
“If the card has a chip, it goes in the slot. Otherwise, swipe.” Two solid minutes of fumbling, and she pays for her $37 order.
I get my meal deal (cookies!) and promptly pay with my digital wallet.
As I sat there, enjoying my meal - and the knowledge that my ride would be done tomorrow, I was reminded once again that there are some members of humanity that really need to be a bit more compassionate toward their fellow human beings. The young whiny brat was around the same age as my great-niece, who is absolutely none of those things. I guess I’m really, really lucky.
Get to town; yep - food. So, find that ubiquitous sandwich shop and pull in. Two cars in the lot - and me. The two females made a bee-line for the door when I’m taking a few extra seconds to get my phone off the mount.
I walk in, the couple seemed to be finishing up; they are gone in a matter of minutes..
The "self-entitled 50-something-year-old bitch" along with her tween-aged, whiny assed grand-daughter/niece start bitching at each other. The young one then heads for the door, still whining about something - never did figure it out completely.
I’m thinking I’ll just step up and get my order in - nope, older one comes running up recalims her spot in line, and begins to ‘bark’ her order to the young female employee behind the counter.
It took at least ten minutes to order four foot-long sandwiches, finally realizing the whiny one didn’t get an order, so that fifth sandwich was hastily assembled by the male employee.
The young female employee comes to me, I have my order request in the most kind voice I could muster in less than ten seconds.
Then the FUN of watching this 50-something deal with the point-of-sale terminal.
“If the card has a chip, it goes in the slot. Otherwise, swipe.” Two solid minutes of fumbling, and she pays for her $37 order.
I get my meal deal (cookies!) and promptly pay with my digital wallet.
As I sat there, enjoying my meal - and the knowledge that my ride would be done tomorrow, I was reminded once again that there are some members of humanity that really need to be a bit more compassionate toward their fellow human beings. The young whiny brat was around the same age as my great-niece, who is absolutely none of those things. I guess I’m really, really lucky.
My night's lodging
Checked into the room, make my phone call, a nice warm shower - queen beds?? It’ll work - and sleep. This journey ends tomorrow.
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